Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.sports From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: It's time to set the records straight Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 14:38:17 EST Message-ID: \SE D;SPORTS \HD It's time to set the records straight \BY Dan Daly \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Using words like "unbreakable" and "never" can get a sports writer in a heap of trouble. Two years ago, for instance, Sports Illustrated's William Nack wrote, "The 60-homer season is but a dim memory, and the 50-homer season is surely history as well." Two months later, on the last day of the 1990 season, Detroit's Cecil Fielder swatted his 50th and 51st homers. SI stuck its neck out again in a special "Dream Teams" issue that just came out. It put together a list of 10 records that, in its humble opinion, are untouchable. It's a real conversation piece, and I must say I agree with some of the selections. Glenn Hall's 502 complete games in goal (1955-62), the Boston Celtics' eight straight NBA championships (1959-66), UCLA's seven straight NCAA basketball championships (1967-73), the Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game winning streak (1971-72), Jack Nicklaus' 20 major golf championships - no argument here. But I'm not so sure about the other five. I'm not convinced they're all as watertight or as deserving of genuflection as the magazine thinks. Also, did it bother anybody but me that there wasn't a single football record on the list? Of course, you have to consider the source. Only two pro football players have ever been named SI's Sportsman of the Year, and one of them (Terry Bradshaw in 1979) had to share the honor with a baseball player. Let's start with the three "inviolable" baseball records: Ty Cobb's .367 career average (1905-28), Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak (1941) and Roger Maris' 61 home runs in a season (1961). I just have two things to say about them: aluminum bats and baseball in Denver. If, as Sports Illustrated itself has predicted, aluminum replaces wood in the major leagues by the end of the century, no batting record may be safe. In the Cape Cod Summer League, batters hit 20 points higher and twice as many homers with aluminum bats. Think aluminum might have made a diference for Wade Boggs (.356 average in his first seven seasons), Pete Rose (44-game hitting streak in 1978) and George Foster (52 dingers in 1977)? You'd better believe it. Then there's the Denver factor. The ball really travels when you're a mile above sea level. And that's with a wooden bat. Imagine if the expansion Rockies got their hands on a Mark McGwire type, and he was swinging an aluminum stick. Over and out, Roger. Cy Young's 511 wins seems a lot safer than any of those records. Nobody's come within 100 of him except Walter Johnson, another ancient. And in the aluminum era, pitching records figure to be less threatened than batting records. Moving along, I also question whether Rocky Marciano's 49-0 heavyweight record (1947-55), No. 9 in SI's top 10, is truly rock-solid. Larry Holmes got to 48-0 before he was beaten, and Mike Tyson was 38-0 at the age of 23. Were he not bent on self-destruction, Iron Mike might have made it to 60-0. And let's not forget Muhammad Ali, who was 29-0 and then lost three years of his prime because of the draft-evasion business. Granted, fighters are fighting less now, but Marciano's mark may not be unreachable. A couple of Joe Louis' records could be tougher to top. Choose one: his 11-year, 252-day reign as heavyweight champ or his 25 successful defenses. Finally, there's SI's choice of Chamberlain's 100-point game (1962). It's a great record, no doubt about it. No other player has scored more than 73. But that was a one-night deal. Why not go with another record Wilt set that year, his 50.4-points-per-game average? The best anybody else has been able to do is 37.1. My philosophy is this: When you have two comparable records, the season record should win out over the single-game record (and a career record should take precedence over a season record). Kind of like scissors, paper, rock. Now for the records I'd add to the list. For starters, there's the Detroit Lions' seven consecutive shutouts in 1934. This is one of the least-appreciated records in pro football. The shutouts came in the first seven games, so the Lions weren't scored on until November. During the streak, they didn't let an opponent inside the 20-yard line. And when somebody finally did score, it was on a fake punt. The game wasn't as wide open as it is now, but passing revolution (brought on by the 1933 rules changes) was under way. Here's the clincher: No other NFL team before or since has posted more than three consecutive shutouts. Check out the other sports if you're still dubious. Has any big-league pitcher ever thrown seven consecutive shutouts? No, not even in the dead ball days. Has any NHL goaltender ever had seven consecutive shutouts? No, not even in the dead puck days. I rest my case. My other football nominee is Johnny Unitas' streak of 47 games with a touchdown pass (1956-60). Second is Dan Marino with 30 (1985-87). If a guy who has thrown 48 and 44 TD passes in a season - the two highest totals of all time - can't break Johnny U.'s record, it might well be impregnable. (Counting playoff games, Unitas' streak was 49 and Marino's 32.) Lastly, I'd be tempted to include discus thrower Al Oerter's unequaled four Olympic golds in one track and field event (1952, '56, '60, '64). The discus might not be very dynamic, but all events are created equal. Carl Lewis, if he makes it to Atlanta in '96, will be trying to tie him in the long jump. Notice, though, that I didn't say any of my records was unbreakable. "Might" is as close as I got. In sports, especially in sports, you should never say never. ****BOX RECORDS: THE UNTOUCHABLES? Sports Illustrated recently identified some sports records that may stand forever. Here are some others the magazine left out: * Champion's reign - Joe Louis' holding of the world heavyweight championship for 11 years and 252 days. * Points per game - Wilt Chamberlain's 50.4 points-per-game scoring mark, set in 1962, the year Wilt scored 100 points in one game. * NFL shutouts - The 1934 Detroit Lions recorded seven consecutive shutouts to open the season, meaning they weren't scored upon until November. * Touchdown passes - Johnny Unitas' streak of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, set from 1956-60. * Gold medals - Al Oerter's four gold medals in one track and field event - the discus - in 1952, '56, '60 and '64. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM